Ideas for the school holidays
Children can become very restless over the school holidays, because they are used to having every single moment filled with busy activities at school.
On one hand parents may feel relieved and happy about the change in the usual rushed morning routine. Finally you can have a break from preparing packed school lunches and washing school uniforms. You may also be happy that you will finally have the chance to spend a bit of quality time with your children.
On the other hand you may be feeling a bit stressed at the thought of having to entertain your children for a full three weeks. It can also be very costly to constantly keep your children occupied during their school break.
The key to having a fun and stressless holiday with your children is to make sure you plan ahead. Being prepared with lots of fun activities will prevent your children from saying those dreaded words “Mum I’m bored”.
Get your children involved in the planning too. Make sure to write down all of your planned activities on the calendar and remind your children of the fun activities ahead, so that they have something to look forward to.
Divide the activities into- things to do at home, things to do in the garden and outdoor activities.
Staying at home
Cooking
Get out your recipe books and do some fun and creative cooking with your kids. You can make anything from a cake to a delicious pizza or scrumptious Spaghetti bolognaise. Cooking is great because children can learn about good nutrition and refine their fine motor skills, by cutting and mashing and mixing.
Theatre and magic show
Help your children to put on a play or magic show. They can use old clothes or clothes from their dress up box as costumes and you can find props around the house such as hats, bags and coat stands. If you have a camera you can film it and keep the memory forever.
Build a den
Build a den with your kids. All you need are some boxes, sofa cushions, a clothes drying rack and a few blankets. Let their imagination run wild.
Create a scrapbook
Make a scrap book with your kids. Take photos of special days, stick them in your scrapbook and write about it. You can even stick souvenirs from your day out in the book, such as tickets or pressed flowers and leaves.
Playing in the garden
Treasure hunt
Encourage the children to do a treasure hunt in the garden, you can hide pieces of paper with clues written on them and the children can find small treats or healthy snacks hidden in the garden.
Get them gardening
Digging, planting and watering is fun. Get your children to help you garden. You can plant flowers, vegetables and you can teach your children about the plant growing process. They will also be excited when they see that a seed has grown into a plant or vegetable with time.
Outdoors
Nature walk
Go on a nature walk with your kids. The children can collect special items. If they are on the beach they can collect shells and pebbles. If you go for a walk on a farm or in the forest, they can collect bugs, plants, sticks and flowers.
With all of these fun and exciting ideas to entertain your children, the school holiday will be real treat and not a trick.
By Liesl Silverman
Photo credit: Freepik.com
